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Interface 1
Clarified
water
zone
Vs
H0
Transition
zone
Vc
Compaction
zone
t=0
Interface 2
tc>t>0
Hc
Xc
t=tc
Interfaces
meet and
coalesce
Compaction
zone
Hu
Xu
t=tu
Interface 1
Clarified
water
zone
Vs
H0
Transition
zone
Vc
Compaction
zone
t=0
Uniform sludge conc. X0
Clarification Process
Interface 2
tc>t>0
Hc
Xc
Interfaces
meet and
coalesce
Compaction
zone
t=tc
Beginning of compaction
Hu
Xu
t=tu
End of compaction
Thickening Process
Below Interface 1, the solids settle at a uniform velocity and the blanket of solids moves at a
constant velocity of Vs. The solids that has reached at the bottom, starts getting compacted
as the water gets squeezed out from the compacted sludge. This compaction zone also has a
uniform concentration. This zone increases in volume over time. The interface 2 moves
upward at a velocity Vc.
The two interfaces meet at a critical time tc and the transition zone fades away. At this time
the settled sludge show an uniform concentration Xc, (critical concentration). Compaction
starts and reaches an ultimate concentration Xu.
Height of
Interface 1
Slope
Slope
dh
vc
dt
C
dh
vs
dt
dh
0
dt
t
0
t1
H0
Clarified
water
zone
Vs
Transition
zone
Vc
Compaction
zone
t=0
Interface 1
Interface 2
tc>t>0
Hc
Xc
t=tc
Interfaces
meet and
coalesce
Compaction
zone
Hu
Xu
t=tu
Q0 Qe Qu
Influent
Effluent
Q0, X0
Qe, Xe
Solids balance,
Q0 X 0 Qe X e Qu X u
Underflow
Qu, Xu
Q0 ( X u X 0 )
Qe
(Xu Xe)
Qu Q0 Qe
Protocol for Designing Secondary Clarifier
1. Calculate the minimum surface area required to allow for clarification of sludge
2. Calculate the minimum surface area required to provide for thickening of sludge to
the desired underflow condition.
3. Take the larger of these two area as the design area for clarifier.
Thus,
Qe
Acl
vs
dh
0A
vs
dt
0B
But, the clarifier designed with this criteria
may not necessarily mean that desired
concentration of solid (Xu) shall be achieved
at the underflow
Clarified
water zone
GB X i vi
Xi
Unlike discrete particle or flocculent Settling, here the zone settling velocity
of sludge gradually decreases over time after the critical concentration is
reached. At this situation, the water needs to be squeezed out in order to
allow for the sludge blanket to settle down. The greater the particle density,
the more difficult is to allow the water to pass through the settling sludge.
As the sludge blanket settles down, Xi
increases, due to water being continuously
squeezed out. At very high concentrations the
suspension is almost compacted and
approaches vi0, and from the above
equation GB0. On the other hand, at a low
concentrations, xi0, then also, GB0. This
suggests that a maximum for GB should occur
at some intermediate value of xi.
Solids Flux
vi
GB
Xi
Solids Concentration
Effluent
Q0 , X 0
Qe, Xe
Q0 X 0 Qe X e Qu X u
Ideally, the outlet solids concentration
should be zero or may be much less than
the concentration at the underflow.
Xe 0
In either case,
Or,
Underflow
Qu, Xu
X e X u
Q0 X 0 Qu X u
M Qu X u Q0 X 0
If the area of the thickener is At, then this mass M should have settled down through this
thickener area. In such a case,
M AG
GT
M At GT Q0 X 0
Q0 X 0
At
GT
Influent
Effluent
Q0 , X 0
Qe, Xe
GT GB Gu
Underflow
Qu, Xu
GB X i vi
Gu X i vu
Batch-flux curve
Underflow velocity,
vu
Solids Flux
Qu
At
0 B GT
vu
0Xu Xu
tan
GB
Xi
Gu
GT
Qu X u Q0 X 0
AG
M
G
t T T
At X u
At X u At X u At X u X u
tan
Solids Concentration
Xu
0 A GB
vi
0Xi Xi
Slope of the tangent provides the underflow velocity (vu) required to achieve the underflow
concentration of Xu
GT GB Gu
0 A GB
0 B GT
AB Gu
Thickener Area,
At
M Q0 X 0
GT
GT
Example:
A laboratory batch thickening experiment with variable solids concentration
produced the following results:
900
4.2
1400
3.0
2200
1.85
3000
1.21
3700
0.76
4500
0.45
5200
0.28
6500
0.13
8200
0.089
The influent concentration is MLSS 3000 mg/L, flow Rate is 8000 cum/day. Design a
secondary settling tank that will thicken the solids so that the underflow solids
concentration is 10,000 mg/L.
STEP 1. Calculate the solids flux based on the laboratory column analysis data
Solids
concentration
(mg/L)
Settling
Velocity
(m/hr)
Solids Flux
(kg/sqm.hr)
(col 1 X col 2)
900
4.2
3.78
1400
3.0
4.2
2200
1.85
4.07
3000
1.21
3.63
3700
0.76
2.80
4500
0.45
2.03
5200
0.28
1.46
6500
0.13
0.90
8200
0.089
0.73
6
mg m
mg
m
10
mg
1400 X 3
X
4.2 X 103 -3 3 X
4.2
L
hr
10 m
hr
m 2 .hr
GT= 2.4
Gu=1.6
GT
GB=0.8
STEP 3. Draw Tangent to the curve with starting point , Xu = 10,000 mg/L, Find out
the ordinate. This is the solids flux GT. GT = 2.4 kg/sqm.hr
M Q0 X 0
GT
GT
At
416.7 sq.m.
GT
2.4 kg/sqm.hr
At ACl
Q 8000 m 3 / d
ACl
275 m 2
vs
1.21 m/hr
So, area required for thickening will govern the process design. Hence, the surface
area of the clarifier shall be 417 sq m. The Diameter shall be 23 m.